William Lyon Homes names former Stearns Lending CEO to lead financial services

Brian Hale will serve as president of financial services

On Wednesday, William Lyon Homes announced it has named Brian Hale, former CEO of Stearns Lending, to lead the company’s financial services initiatives.

In his newly created role, Hale will serve as president of financial services for the California-based homebuilder.

“We are fortunate and excited to bring Brian on board in this new leadership role where he will focus on optimizing our financial services initiatives, which currently consist of our interest in two separate mortgage joint ventures, and explore additional ancillary business opportunities including title and insurance for the company,” said Matthew Zaist, president and CEO of William Lyon Homes.

Sponsor Content

“Brian is the ideal candidate to lead this important and highly strategic initiative for William Lyon Homes, bringing decades of mortgage lending experience to his new role, including full financial and operational responsibility, channel development, originations, credit and servicing, and a solid reputation and track record in the industry," Zaist added. "We look forward to Brian’s leadership in this new position and are pleased to welcome him to the William Lyon Homes family.”

A 35-year veteran of the mortgage industry, Hale most recently served as the CEO and member of the board of directors at Stearns Lending. He stepped down from his position in May 2017. Before he joined Stearns in 2012, Hale held several senior executive roles, including senior retail originations executive at Bank of America; president and senior managing director of the consumer markets division at Countrywide Home Loans. Hale also spent time with Wells Fargo and Fleet Mortgage.

“I am privileged, excited and anxious to get started with Matt and his outstanding team at William Lyon Homes,” Hale added. “I have known the William Lyon team for over 10 years as a partner, a client and a well-respected and rapidly growing operator on the national homebuilding scene. The opportunity to contribute to the William Lyon organization through a comprehensive, integrated and thoughtful approach to financial services across the entire homebuilding platform is exciting and it is what drew me to this opportunity. I look forward to working with Matt and his entire team on the continued evolution of William Lyon Homes.”

This month inHousingWire magazine

Eight years after we began recognizing women for their influential work in the expanding housing and mortgage finance ecosystem, a traditionally male-dominated field, our Women of Influence list is bigger and better than ever! This year, we honor 85 women who are making lasting achievements in each sector of the housing economy. Read on to learn more about these accomplished women and the strides they are making in their industry segments.

Feature

The financial world at large is experimenting with changing its workforce culture in ways not fathomable 10 years ago. For example, in 2011, the dress code for female workers at UBS came to light with unflattering results. In it, the Swiss bank instructed female employees on not just how to dress and how to smell, but also preached the importance for ladies to apply lotion after taking showers. Fast forward to today and fellow Swiss bank, Credit Suisse has now created an official role to boost equal opportunities and create a fair treatment environment. Has the American mortgage industry made similar progress?

Commentary

The conversation around student loan debt and its economic impact on Millennials, those born from 1980 to 1998, has some questioning whether the future of the American Dream is in jeopardy. The nation’s student loan debt has soared to $1.4 trillion, surpassing credit cards in becoming the largest source of personal debt outside a mortgage.